source: Child: Care, health and development

year: 2018

authors: Morrison-Levy N, Knight-Madden J, Royal-Thomas T, King L, Asnani M

Background:
Increasing knowledge and understanding of disease is known to improve outcomes in persons living with a chronic illness. In this paper, we aim to compare the disease knowledge of children with sickle cell disease (SCD), age 6-10 years, who received an intervention (an educational colouring book on SCD) geared towards improving disease knowledge, to those who did not received the colouring book.

Methods:
A quasi-experimental study was conducted where disease knowledge was determined in 56 children who had received the colouring book and compared to 60 children who did not receive this intervention.

Results:
The mean knowledge score was significantly higher in the intervention group (mean difference = 2.65; 95% CI [1.43, 3.86]), as well as in older children and in those in higher grades but there was no difference between sexes. In a multiple regression model (adjusted R2 : 0.39; p value < .001), knowledge score was significantly higher in those who received the intervention (β: 2.62; 95% CI [1.48, 3.76]) while adjusting for age, gender, persons living at home, and the father’s employment status.

Conclusion:
The study highlights that a simple, inexpensive (cost: US$1/book) child-friendly intervention can significantly improve knowledge about SCD even in young children. It also underlines various social factors that are associated with children’s understanding of their disease.

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